Never Insult Someone's Parabatai
by MaggyStar17
Summary: Jace goes to the Shadowhunter Academy with Clary to give a lecture to the Nephilim and Mundane teenagers about parabatais. The lesson soon becomes a discussion about Alec as most Shadowhunters despised Alec for being different, making Jace's blood boil and respond violently. As Clary can't understand her boyfriend's odd behaviour, she takes Jace to Alec. Jalec (friendship).


**Never Insult Someone's** _ **Parabatai**_

Magnus closed the room's door gently and went to the living room. Alec paced behind the couch in dark clothes he was using for three days straight, with messed long hair falling on his eyes as he stared at the floor. Alec's movements were slow, as if he was in trance, expect for his hand, whose fingers tightened into a fist and loosened quickly. Alec probably didn't realize he was doing it.

"She'll be fine in a few days," he told his boyfriend to soothe his nerves.

"That's what Catarina said a week ago," Alec replied without turning to him.

When he agreed in raising a baby warlock with Alec two months ago, he wasn't expecting it to be like this. Lily was a beautiful baby girl with sapphire blue skin and thin dark hair, calm and hardly ever cried. That was until a week ago. She started crying for hours straight several times a day and she wasn't wet, hungry, frightened or tired.

They called Catarina who had more experience with infants than Magnus and she said Lily probably was having colics. Catarina gave them syrup and taught them massage techniques to ease the baby girl but the effects could take some time.

So Magnus and Alec were having a rough week, having little sleep and energy. Magnus cancelled all his appointments with clients and Alec hadn't gone to the Institute either.

Fortunately now Lily was asleep in the crib and they could have a moment of peace.

"You should go to bed, Alexander." Magnus stepped in front of the Shadowhunter's way.

"I'm not tired," Alec replied. But when he lifted his head to look at Magnus, the dark bags under the blue eyes were too much visible. "I mean... I won't be able to sleep." He rubbed his upper arm absently.

"Something wrong with Jace?" Magnus noticed his boyfriend touching the _parabatai_ rune.

"I feel like something bad is going to happen to him." Alec spoke with concern and a wish to go after his brother to protect him, but also resigned that he couldn't.

"Jace isn't going to a battle; he's going to the Academy for a lecture. There will be no trouble." Magnus place a hand on the Alec's shoulder.

"Jace is a trouble magnet," he stated harshly. "You know that."

"Well, he's not alone. If something happens, Clary is with him."

"I know." Alec sighed.

Other's may confuse Alec's behavior with jealousy, but Magnus knew otherwise; Alec wished the fact Clary was with his _parabatai_ brought him a little peace, but it had nothing to do with Clary, the reason for his nervousness was that if Jace got hurt, badly or not, it'd be his fault, for he had swore to protect his _parabatai_ and failed.

But even if their daughter was well, Alec still couldn't go to the Shadowhunter Academy.

"Let's cuddle on the couch, then." He grabbed Alec's restless fingers and gave him his best personification of Chairman's cute pleading look.

Alexander nodded slightly and Magnus took him to the couch. Once they sat, Magnus wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and the Shadowhunter rested his head on the warlock's shoulder.

* * *

As he walked down the hallway with Clary by his side, Jace wondered why he ever agreed in coming to give a lecture to the future Shadowhunters. Perhaps because Tessa asked him to.

Several teenagers from all ages passed by them with an amazement expression on their faces. A nephilim girl with probably thirteen-years-old was so awestruck she almost lost her senses and had to hold herself to the wall. Another girl that came with her also grabbed her.

"Fainting isn't a very effective technique in demon fight, you know," Jace told them without interrupting his quick steps.

The girls smiled and giggled as if it had been the best moment of their lives. "Jace Herondale spoke to me," he heard one say.

It didn't matter if he was nice; he was still a celebrity in the Academy. Today Jace had no patience for his and Clary's admirers.

As they reached the room, Tessa came out the door. "Jace, Clary, it's good to see you," she greeted them with a smile.

"You too," Clary replied.

"Jace, do you need help with the lecture?" Tessa had a large book in her hand he couldn't see of what it was about.

"I know my speech by heart," he said with a touched expression as he brought a hand to his chest.

"Good. I'd like to have a little chat with Clary."

"Hum, sure," Clary said, a bit surprised. "Good luck," she told him, kissing his cheek.

"I can handle them, don't you worry."

The two girls (although one had about 200 years, she didn't seem older than Clary) walked down the corridor they had came from. Jace stepped inside the classroom and he was welcomed with a collective 'Ah!' of surprise. He stepped to the teacher's desk under the sound of gossips between the students and sat on top it.

"Everyone knows who I am, so let's skip introductions," Jace began. "I'm here today to explain to you the concept of _parabatai_ as probably _mundanes_ have more difficulty to understand it."

A few shadowhunters students started to make fun of _mundanes_ nearer to them.

"Of course, there are Shadowhunters that affirm to know everything regarding their race but are actually dumber than Ravener demons. So you should _all_ pay close attention." Jace witnessed a few glared being exchanged between the students. "I'm sure your teacher already spoke to you about _parabatai_ , and not to make you hear the same story again, I'll just answer your questions."

He was sure Tessa told them about Jonathan Shadowhunter and David, the _parabatai_ oath and everything else that's in the Codex. She possibly added some personal information; after all, she was a shadowhunter a long time ago. Still, some people didn't think that was enough and made him come to give the lecture.

Suddenly there were several hands raised. "That girl in the back with a blue shirt." Jace pointed at her. She was one of the teased _mundanes_.

"How do you know someone's the right person to be your _parabatai_?"

Jace had an impulse to reply right away, _parabatai_ was such a simple and familiar feeling... But as he was about to speak he realized it was harder to put it into words that he thought. It's not like there's a check-list for the perfect _parabatai_.

"That's easy," a boy said very certain of himself. "The best Shadowhunter is the _parabatai_. That's what my dad says."

"Then your father's an idiot," Jace told the boy. Sometimes Shadowhunters that never had a _parabatai_ knew less than Ascendants.

"He is not!" The boy with brown hair and a green sweater stood up from his chair suddenly.

"He's either an idiot or a terrible _parabatai_." Jace saw anger rise within the boy. "We don't need to know the answer. Just sit down and learn." He matched the boy's glare on him until he sat down muttering curses to him, but Jace couldn't care less.

He spoke to the whole class and not just the girl that made the question. "The right _parabatai_ doesn't have to be the best Shadowhunter. That's what least matters actually. The right _parabatai_ must be a friend you trust, must honor the oath and be brave to protect you and even give their life for yours if necessary. If you're wondering if someone's a good _parabatai_ for you, ask yourself first if you'd want to spend the rest of our life with that person by your side."

"It sounds like marriage," someone commented and there were laughs.

"It is as serious as marriage," Jace interrupted. "With the difference that after the ceremony, can't happen a divorce. The bond may become very thin but the rune never disappears, only in death or one of the pair being turned into a werewolf or vampire."

"Oh, that explains it," another boy with a black t-shirt said.

"Explains what?" Jace asked him.

"Why some people stay with a bad _parabatai_."

Jace remembered how Luke stayed by Valentine's side, lying to himself that his other half was just and had good intentions. But Valentine didn't try to see his _parabatai_ in the werewolf he had become.

"You're one of the best shadowhunters there is," the boy continued. "You're a hero. You could have certainly found a better _parabatai_ than Alec Lightwood."

Jace was next to the boy's table in two seconds. "Who would be a better _parabatai_ for me? You?" He hit both hands in the secretary and stared at the fifteen-years-old boy.

"For example," he replied in a softer voice. "I'm the best of the class. But even his sister is a better fighter; we all saw that when she was here."

"Alec was supposed to be here with me today but some influential people heard about him coming to the Academy and spoke to the Clave to restrict his access here to 'extremely necessary only'". He never wished so much a demon attack than to the Academy, only for the children to see what great Shadowhunter Alec was.

"It is for our own good. He's on the Downworlder's side. He's dating a warlock, they're raising warlock baby and I heard Alec wanted to give the baby a Shadowhunter's name. I'm glad the Clave refused. And they should strip his marks too."

That was the last drop in the ocean of anger Jace was drowning into. With a quick swing, he punched the boy in the face. The boy with dark green eyes winced and gasped as he brought a hand to his face. When he removed it, his hand and face was covered in blood.

"Alec Lightwood turned against us! He'll bring shame and disgrace to the Shadowhunters."

Those words weren't from a boy who barely knew the world; they were from older people. Maybe his parents. But Jace didn't care. He pulled the boy's arm, making him stand up, turned him around, with a foot on the back of the boy's knee made fall to the ground.

There were several gasps, even a few screams and the students near him got up and stepped away.

"You say I'm a hero but so is Alec. If it wasn't him I wouldn't be the hero that you all cheer for because I'd be dead a long time ago." He spoke loudly for everyone to hear as he twisted the boy's arm behind his back. "Alec is better than all of you together. He's better than me. You know why?" He twisted the arm a little more and the boy let out a little scream.

"Stop," a scared girl's voice said.

"Because if Alec was here he'd stop me from doing this." And Jace broke the boy's arm and let him lay on the ground screaming in pain.

Jace took a few steps back. "And now here's the most important thing about the lecture today; never insult someone's _parabatai_."

Tessa and Clary came in that instant followed by a young boy who had left to tell what was happening. Tessa ran to the boy on the ground.

"Jace, what happened?" Clary asked, astonished.

* * *

Clary tried to understand why Jace had broken a student's arm for half-hour now, but Jace kept shrugging and avoiding the question. She saw Tessa taking the boy to the infirmary from the spot she was with Jace outside the classroom.

"I did nothing wrong," Jace stated furiously. "He deserved it. Now can we go back to the Institute or do I need to find someone else to open a portal?"

She hadn't seen Jace so upset in two years; body tense and a turbulent gaze. She always thought Jace was an angel and now he was as terrifying as Raziel when she met him. If Jace still had the heavenly fire within, he'd create a fire tornado.

"Let's go back." She wouldn't get a better answer than that.

Clary took out her Stele and started to draw the runes on the wall. The mirrored surface of the portal appeared and she grabbed Jace's hand as they entered it, like they usually did. But she didn't take Jace to the Institute.

They appeared in front of Alec and Magnus, who was feeding the baby in his arms.

"Jace. Clary." Alec stood up immediately. "Is there something wrong?"

"No," Jace replied.

"Yes," Clary said at the same time.

"The only thing wrong was our destination," Jace told her with a serious voice and a slight glare.

"I thought it was better to come here instead." Jace had been strange in the past days, agitated and distant. But today he just wasn't himself. If she couldn't get jace to talk to her, maybe Alec had better luck.

"Then you stay here. I'll go to the Institute." Jace turned his back on her. "Sorry for bothering," he said to Alec before opening the door.

"Jace!" Alec grabbed him by the wrist.

The boys' eyes met and Clary saw the angry fire in Jace diminish slightly as if Alec was pouring down gentle water drops. By the dark haired Shadowhunter's concerned and tired blue eyes, she thought Alec would assure Jace that he never bothered him.

"One of Magnus' clients said he heard rumors of demonic activity in Hell's Kitchen," Alec said calmly. "We should check it out."

"Then go get ready for the feast and meet me outside," Jace said humorlessly as he opened the window and jumped down the building.

"By the Angel, Jace," Alec muttered and ran inside a room.

Clary knew, as well as Alec, that the blond Shadowhunter wouldn't just wait for his brother.

A moment later, Alec came out with a weapon's belt on, quiver full of arrows on his back and bow in his hand. "I'll keep him safe," the tall Shadowhunter told her.

Only then Clary realized she was bracing herself. "I know."

Magnus took the chance of Alec's pause to pull him into a short kiss. Neither of them said anything; the exchange of glances said in two seconds what their mouths would need two minutes to speak.

Then Alec disappeared by the same window as Jace did.

* * *

While Jace made a clear jump, Alec held himself on the windows of lower floors, or else he'd get hurt. Then he ran after his brother almost too far down the road to be recognizable under the sunset.

They were silent as they ran, on the subway and the way to Hell's Kitchen too.

After a few minutes looking, when Alec thought Magnus' client had made up the existence of demons there as an excuse to complain about Shadowhunters' bad job, they heard screams.

A woman and a child were being followed by an Eidolon demon that turned its appearance of a man into his true ugly and dangerous form.

They brought the demon into an alley as the _mundanes_ ran for their lives. Other two Eidolon demons joined them.

They came out of the alley alive, the dead demons vanished, but it was still a heavy fight.

Under the weak moonlight of the clouded and foggy sky, Jace and Alec had the tall building's lights as stars as they sat on the grass of the Bryant Park. Alec tried to catch his breath but the rush of adrenaline still pumped in his heart after the intense and exhilarating fight. Usually he approached battles cynically, evaluating the best way to defeat the enemy, but now he felt excited and happy.

"Demons really should stop appearing in the most obvious places," Jace commented, rolling up his sleeve in front of him. "It's not fun." The easiness of his voice proved the blond boy was in a better mood.

Alec grabbed his brother's wrist and traced an Iratze on his slashed arm. Going into battle without gear was always a bad idea, but this time it went mostly alright. Their clothes were ripped and dirty but the injuries weren't deep and his had already closed. "Jace," Alec said after a moment of silence. "What happened at the Academy?"

"I punched a kid in the face and broke his arm," Jace said as if he was telling how his most uneventful day went.

"Why did you do that?" He only realized he was pressing the Stele too much when Jace winced and retrieved his arm. At least the rune was done and the cut was closing.

"He started insulting and I had to shut him up." The shiny golden eyes showed no regret and Jace covered his arm again.

"Insulting you?" He assumed everyone admired Jace. "You should know better than to give into provocations. You can never please everyone."

"It wasn't me he was insulting. It was you."

Alec wished he could say he was surprised by that. Despite the Accords and vampires, warlocks and werewolves having a place in the Council, a Shadowhunter dating a Warlock disturbed most people. The times he went to Alicante recently to speak to the Clave about keeping Lily, he was welcomed by side eyes, disgusted faces and disapproving opinions from a few Shadowhunters. "You still shouldn't have done it, Jace."

"Yes, I should," he insisted. "It's my job to protect you, in battle and out. If it was the other way around, you'd have done the same thing."

No one talked badly about Jace without hearing from him, but... "No, I wouldn't. Maybe I would've threatened him, but I don't think I would actually do it. And I never thought you would either. He's just a kid."

Jace sighed, apparently understanding his mistake. "I've been edgy lately and I guess I just exploded in that moment. I feel like I'm constantly expecting someone I care about to get hurt, even though I know everyone's okay. And there's also this constant numbness, but it's..."

"Painful?" Alec offered and Jace nodded. Their eyes met and suddenly they knew the cause of what they were both feeling, because they instinctively reached for their own _parabatai_ rune.

"I'm sorry." Alec looked down at the grass. "It's my fault. I've been away most of this week, and even before that, ever since I left the Institute, it wasn't the same with us." Their feelings for each other hadn't changed but the distance had damaged the bond between them without them realizing it.

"No, Alec." Jace placed a hand on his shoulder. "You had to be with Lily and Magnus; they need you."

"You need me too." He also grabbed Jace's shoulder. "Just like I need you."

"So I'll just have work up a schedule with Magnus about who you spend time with. No big deal." His voice was serious, but the slight smirk on his face revealed his playfulness.

"You and Magnus?" Alec frowned. "Don't I have a say in it?"

"No." Jace stood up. "Only if you win me in a race to the Institute." He took off as fast as he could.

"By the Angel, Jace." Alec got up and followed his _parabatai_.

* * *

Jace opened the Institute's door when Alec had only reached the gates. He always won when they made runs when they were younger. But he knew how fast Alec was to realize his older brother had let him win.

When Alec entered, he closed the door and passed a hand by his hair, wet just like his clothes. It had started raining heavily not even after five minutes of running and now they were soaked.

"At least the rain washed away most of the blood and ichor."

Alec merely rolled his eyes. "As if we could use these clothes again. They're covered in holes."

Jace chuckled. "You know that's hilarious coming from you, right?" At least half of Alec's clothes had holes.

Alec punched him in the arm and walked down the long corridor. "Izzy's here?"

"No. She said she was going out with Simon." Jace followed him. "There's no one here." Since Robert became the Inquisitor he rarely came to the Institute and Maryse was always busy with Clave's bureaucracy and tonight she had a meeting with someone he didn't bother remembering.

They went to the living room and Jace lit the fireplace. Despite the run, it was cold and windy outside so it was better for them to get dry and warm.

"Jace, you think our things are still there?"

He looked back in his crouched position and saw Alec contemplating a couch. "Maybe."

Alec put the couch's pillows on the ground and opened the secret compartment on the wooden structure. Jace stood up, curious.

"Catch." Alec threw him a towel and he raised an arm to grab it.

The white towel was moldy but Jace still used it to dry his hair. He almost couldn't believe Hodge never found out about it. Jace had lost count of how many times he sneaked out the Institute at night and as the loyal _parabatai_ Alec was, he went after him. Most times they just wandered around the city but they occasionally found troubles with demons and Downworlders.

In the winter, it was frequent they return completely wet and they stashed towels inside the couches to dry themselves as best as possible because it was more likely to meet Hodge or Maryse and Robert on their way to their bedrooms than in the living room. Hugo and Church never sold them out, surprisingly.

Jace removed the large back and seat pillows of the other couch and lifted the rectangular piece of wood lit. Inside there was the thin but large mat he had hid there when he was fifteen. He retrieved the folded blue mattress they used in trainings and placed it in front of the fireplace.

He took off his black jacket and dark red sweater and enjoyed the heat of the orange flames on his wet skin.

"Jace!"

"I know I have a gorgeous body, Alec. You don't need to tell me that every time you see me shirtless."

"And the dozen little cuts are part of your 'gorgeous body'?"

Jace looked at himself and realized his torso and arms were covered in tiny red cuts. "Perfection is overrated."

Alec dropped the blankets he was carrying after he put the couches back as they were. "Stay still." Alec grabbed his _parabatai's_ shoulder and Jace felt the familiar burn of a Stele on his back. Jace reached for his own Stele and traced a large rune on his abdomen and even before he finished it, the several cuts around the rune began to disappear.

"You must have slashes too." Jace turned around when their work was done.

Alec removed his faint black sweater and his muscled torso was untouched, except for a few bruises. "How can you get out unharmed after a fight?"

"One of the advantages of using bow and arrows is that you don't have to get close to the enemy to kill it."

"How boring." Jace knew archery and throwing knives too, but he preferred a Seraph blade and a close combat.

"But effective," Alec remarked.

Suddenly Alec stumbled and would have fallen if Jace hadn't grabbed him. "Alec!" he called for his brother that had half closed eyes and limp body as if he was losing his senses.

Jace sat Alec on the floor against the couch's side. "Alec." He held Alec's face in his hands and blue eyes focused on him.

"I'm fine," he muttered in a weak voice. "I'm just tired. I haven't been sleeping much." He glanced at the stamina rune in his chest fading. He bent up his legs and winced. "And I think I might have a sprained muscled." He rubbed his right thigh.

The stamina runes, between other things, increased the amount of adrenaline released into the bloodstream that had also an anesthetic effect, so sometimes they only felt injuries after the rune disappeared.

"Take off your pants." Alec just stared at him with wide eyes. "I bet you dreamed of me saying that at least once, didn't you?" The intense blue eyes narrowed. "There's no shame in it, it happens to everyone."

Alec smacked a quick hand on the back of his head. "Shut up. You're giving me a headache." He removed the weapon's belt from his waist, took off his boots and pushed the sticky pants out with a gasp.

Jace sat next to him and applied the healing rune on the injured leg of his _parabatai_ who sighed at the end when the pain diminished.

"Thanks," Alec whispered, leaning his head back with eyes closed.

Alec was truly exhausted. How could he be so inconsiderate of his brother? He knew little Lily wasn't alright and spend days crying. It was obvious Alec and Magnus hadn't had proper rest all week and he just made his _parabatai_ run like they were being chased by twenty demons just for fun. He had just thought about himself and his troubled soul.

Alec felt the same, but his idea to go after the demons was just to calm him down. Alec always cared about others first. While he mostly fought to kill nasty demons and enjoyed being a Shadownhunter for the thrill of battle, Alec fought to protect the innocents, whether they're _mundanes_ , Shadowhunters or Downworlders. That's the reason Alec's a better Shadowhunter than he'll ever be.

Alec's head gently fell on his shoulder as his older brother slept soundly. He could still do something right today.

Jace lifted his head and moved away. He slipped an arm on Alec's back and other under his knees and stood up. "Time for bed, you giant baby," he murmured.

Jace put him down on the mat where the heat of the fireplace could warm his wet skin. He took two small decorative pillows from the couch and put one under Alec's head. Jace took off his boots and pants, grabbed a blanket and lay next to Alec, covering them.

Jace felt like he was thirteen again, laying down after improving in his training, bothering the other children of the Institute and breaking Hodge's rule of not getting out during the night. The moving shadows on the walls seemed to form the silhouette of his father, of Valentine, and he whispered to him the words printed in his head 'To love is to destroy and to be loved is to be destroyed'. And he listened to the words of his dead father he missed until he fell asleep.

Now he knew Valentine had only told him lies; he had never been his father or his family. But now he had a family and loved them deeply, and for the first time he was able to turn his back to the shadow that suddenly didn't seem like Valentine at all.

* * *

The phone rang annoyingly. Isabelle reached for it on the nightstand table.

"What?!" she picked up without seeing who was calling her so early in the morning. Everyone knew better than to wake her up.

"Izzy," Clary's voice came through. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

Isabelle forced her eyes to open and looked at the phone's screen. "It's not even eight o'clock, Clary, what do you think?"

"Sorry," she apologized again. "I just wanted to know if Jace and Alec are there at the Institute."

"What? I thought Jace was with you. And Alec must be at home." She sat properly on her bed.

"No, they left last night to a hunt and Magnus and I haven't heard from them since."

"They went on a hunt without me?"

"Something wrong, Iz?" Simon mumbled with eyes closed next to her. She covered his mouth with a hand so she could hear what Clary said.

"I guess it was something they had to do alone." She sighed. "My point is, we don't know where they are. Jace doesn't answer his phone and Alec left his at home. I assumed they where there."

"Okay, I'll go look for them." Isabelle hung up and turned to Simon with messy hair and sleepy eyes. "Get dressed."

She quickly changed into the first pants and shirt she found, put on black boots and made a ponytail, and left the room. She ran to Alec's room that was empty and exactly like the last time he slept there a few months ago. She opened Jace's door and her brother wasn't there either.

"Izzy, what's going on?" Simon appeared next to her, still composing himself and panting as if he had ran the marathon.

"Let's go." She grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him as she walked fast down the corridor. "Jace and Alec are missing."

Thousands of possible scenarios of what might have happened to her brothers passed through her mind as she stepped toward the front door, each scenario worst than the previous. She couldn't lose another brother; she couldn't lose anyone else.

"What is that smell?" Simon's voice interrupted her thought fortunately. "I felt it when we came in last night too."

She scented the air. "It's from the fireplace in the living room." The wood they used gave an unusual scent to the place. Suddenly, she stopped. "What do you mean, you felt it last night. I didn't notice anything."

"Well, I did." Simon stared at her with convict brown eyes.

Perhaps the reason Isabelle didn't notice was because she was familiar with the scent, frequently used now that it was winter, or maybe it was the fact she was making out with Simon on their way to her room. They should have been alone last night.

She turned back quickly and entered the living room with Simon right behind her. She froze in the middle of the room, surprised with what she was seeing. Both her brother's were sleeping on a mat near the fireplace with extinct fire; Alec was laid on his back and his head turned to his _parabatai_ , and Jace was laid on his belly facing Alec and had an arm out of the blanket resting on Alec's chest.

With a smile on her face, Isabelle took a picture with her phone.

* * *

Magnus was reading a book on the couch with crisscrossed legs to clean his mind from the stressful days he was having. Clary was in the kitchen making a dessert for lunch, even after Magnus saying he could use magic to get it. "Sometimes it's good to make something yourself", she had told him.

The door opened and Jace and Alec came in. Magnus stood up instantly and threw the book on the couch.

"Jace!" Clary wrapped the blond boy with her arms and kissed him passionately.

Magnus didn't have the time to say anything before all he could see, feel and taste was Alec.

"Sorry," Alec said after they broke apart. "I should have warned you I was staying at the Institute."

Isabelle had called them saying the Lightwood brothers were indeed in the Institute and later Jace called Clary after seen the dozen missing calls on his phone.

"Yes, you should." Alec was alright but the blue eyed Shadowhunter had still gotten him worried. "You also should remember to take your phone with you." Magnus handed him the phone.

"Did you spend the night here?" Jace asked Clary, noticing she was wearing the same clothes as the day before.

Jace had changed clothes, thought the black jacket was the same, and Alec possibly had other clothes but it was hard to tell since his dark clothes looked the same to him.

"Yes. I hadn't seen Lily in two weeks and decided to help Magnus with her. I waited for you, but you never returned and I just fell asleep."

"We both did," Magnus added and reached for his phone. "We slept a bit like this." He showed them the picture of the Shadowhunter boys sleeping.

Alec seemed surprised, confused too and maybe even a little embarrassed. Clary smiled.

"But you were wearing clothes, right?" Jace asked in his annoying casual face.

"What?" Clary frowned.

"Alexander..." Magnus faced his boyfriend waiting for an explanation.

"We... We caught rain on the way to the Institute." His cheeks gained more color as he spoke. "And we had to trace a few Iratzes. It was no serious injuries, though." He hurried to say the last sentence.

"And putting on dry clothes in the winter is such a bad idea," Clary commented to Jace mostly.

"We didn't have time for it," Jace explained. "Alec passed out in my arms when he saw me shirtless."

"I didn't pass out, Jace."Alec glared to his brother.

"You almost did."

There were times Jace seemed heartless and others where emotions leaked out of him uncontrollably. Now everyone could see worry in him, hints of fear and the underlying love.

"I'm fine." Alec broke the eye contact with his _parabatai_ and turned to Magnus. "I just needed to rest a little."

"Oh, Alec..." He touched the boy's face and stepped closer to embrace him.

"Hey, look, the sleeping beauties are here." Isabelle came out of the nursery with Lily in her arms and Simon behind her.

"Thanks for the compliment, voyeur," Jace replied to his sister.

"If I was a _mundane_ I think I'd be a great reporter."

"You'd be more of a paparazzi," Simon commented. Isabelle elbowed him in that second and the Ascender squirmed away as the rest of the Shadowhunters laughed.

Lily started making noises of discomfort. "No, don't cry again, baby girl." Isabelle and Simon had managed to sooth her down half hour ago. Isabelle rocked her gently but the loud cries installed.

Alec stepped closer to his sister asking to hand Lily to him. He settled her in his arms and started singing a French lullaby. Lily started to calm down as Alec shook her slowly. Then she opened her emerald eyes and stared attentively at Alec singing to her.

Alec whipped away the tears in her blue cheeks tenderly and Magnus saw love and adoration in Alec's deep blue eyes for someone that wasn't his blood, wasn't even from his race and couldn't have his name. The Clave didn't authorize them to give the baby warlock the Lightwood name and that was the moment Alec decided to name their little girl Cecily, after a strong Shadowhunter that lived two centuries ago. Magnus remembered Will Herondale's sister and her great deeds, although she was a Herondale before marrying Gabriel Lightwood, but part of Alec was Herondale.

Magnus stepped behind Alec and wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed his cheek. He waved his fingers over Lily who raised a hand to grab one of his fingers with purple nails.

Everyone smiled at them; Jace with an arm around Clary's shoulders and Isabelle holding Simon's hand. Warlocks were loners and for a long time his forever friends were Catarina and Ragnor and, as centuries passed, his chance to build a family was left behind. Now he had a large and lovely family as he had never dreamed of. A family he'll never forget.

* * *

Alec met Catarina outside the Infirmary. "Call me if you need something." She smiled at him.

Alec nodded. If Jace and Izzy knew what he was about to do, they would call him a masochist and would've never let him come alone. Magnus, on the other hand, understood why he had to do his, although it was illegal, and asked Catarina for help.

Alec opened the door and stepped inside. The Infirmary wasn't much different from the one in the Institute; it was all white with several beds and tables, in opposite walls. There was a boy in one of the beds, sitting over the covers with legs hanging out. The boy with light brown hair had an arm on a sling, and raised his head when he heard Alec come in.

The boy stared at him in confusion as he came closer. "Who are you?"

"I thought you'd recognize me. After all, you seem to know so much about me." The boy's eyes showed no realization. "I'm Alec Lightwood."

The boy quickly jumped to the floor and stepped back, surrounding the bed with scared eyes.

Alec stopped. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Anger flashed in his face instantly. "I'm not going to stand here hearing you mock me, then." He passed by Alec in direction to the door, but still leaving a more than necessary distance between them. "I'll tell the Dean you're here. You cannot come to the Academy."

Alec's hand closed into fists as he reminded himself how unfairly the Clave treated him and most Shadowhunters thought they were being soft with him. The boy had been brainwashed with those believes too. "I came to apologize."

The boy turned around with a frown, probably wondering if he was lying.

"What Jace did to you was wrong, and I'm sorry. He would've come to apologize too but I don't think he'll be able to come to the Academy until someone remembers what he did." He was sure Jace would've come if he asked him, thought he wouldn't stop hating the boy afterwards. "Violence isn't the answer. Especially in this matter."

"You know why Jace broke my arm?" The tone was a mix of question with a statement.

"Not in detail." Jace wouldn't tell him if asked him to. "But what you think of me mustn't be different from what most Shadowhunters do."

"Jace thinks differently. He was only trying to protect you, and I forgive him." The boy seemed a bit calmer and understanding, Alec thought. "You don't deserve Jace."

A cold lightning trespassed him, tensing up his body. There were times he thought the same, but he wasn't going to give the boy that satisfaction and admit it. "Jace was trying to make sure you kept your mouth shut if you saw me. As you can see, it didn't work very well." Maybe the boy got confident when he was sure Jace wouldn't come back to the Academy any time soon. "And I came here to make sure it didn't work. Because if you kept quiet it'd be out of fear, not respect or acceptance. And what does a lie worth?"

The boy was stunned, following him with his green eyes as he got out of the Infirmary. Alec thought, right before closing the door that he finally saw empathy in the boy's face. He didn't think much about it; violence isn't the right approach but sometimes talking doesn't work either.

But days passed and he didn't receive a message or call from the Clave even with the suspicious he had been at the Shadowhunter Academy, and Alec started wondering.


End file.
